New man at the top aims to revive era of holidays at home

Apr 9 2008 by Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post

Alastair Houghton meets Ian Smith, the newly-appointed chief executive at Pontin’s

THE name may bring back memories of Ted Bovis and Hi-de-Hi, but Pontin’s is a serious business for new chief executive Ian Smith.

The company’s new chief executive led a £46m buyout of the much-loved chain last month, and has moved its headquarters to the holiday park in his home town of Southport.

Smith, a former finance director of Skelmersdale-based Matalan, says he believes the British holiday market is set to boom as people become more reluctant to fly.

To many people, the name Pontin’s sounds like a blast from the past – but Smith says it’s far from time to say “goodnight campers” to the business just yet.

Pontin’s still has seven villages and more than 2,000 staff, and Smith says the venues attract more than 1m visitors every year.

He said: “I want to take the Pontin’s brands forward into the 21st century to meet the needs of our customers old and new. We’ll speak to existing and potential customers to find what they want. People are now looking for short breaks as well as the traditional two-week holiday.”

Pontin’s Southport boasts events such as a scooter rally, a 60s weekend and a four-night special with X-Factor star Ben Mills. Nationally, the seven Pontin’s camps host a wide range of events – the Prestatyn complex, for example, is known for its snooker tournaments.

Those special events also help holiday parks attract people who might not otherwise consider Pontin’s as a holiday destination. The holiday camp at Camber Sands also plays host to the trendy All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals, while punks have pogoed and shaken their Mohicans to the Anti-Nowhere League and Cockney Rejects at the same venue’s Concrete Jungle festival.

Smith said: “Special events are a big part of the business – we have rock weekends, for example, and a Gospel revival event coming to Southport.

“Pontin’s has everything together – accommodation, entertainment, refreshment, food and beverages, sports facilities, places for people to meet, huge dance halls.

“One thing that’s totally untapped is getting large organisations to use us for conferences or training courses.”

Smith is relaxed about the humour so often associated with his industry, saying it shows the affection people still feel for it.

“I went to Butlin’s in Pwllheli when I was in my teens,” he said. “There’s a magic and a humour around holiday villages you don’t get in any other industry.

“We provide entertainment. People are here for a good time.

“A lot of people are very loyal to Pontin’s. A brand that has that sort of loyalty deserves looking after and careful consideration.”

Smith even refuses to take exception to the phrase “holiday camps” itself, even though both Pontin’s and Butlin’s now prefer the less retro-sounding holiday parks or villages.

“Camp to me sounds like it involves tents and boy scouts,” he said.

Breathing new life into Pontin’s will, says Smith, take time as he does not want to make any sudden changes that could alienate existing customers.

The Bluecoats remain a key part of the Pontin’s experience, with alumni including Shane Ritchie and sports presenter Helen Chamberlain, and Smith says the jobs are still popular with people wanting to take their first step into the entertainment industry. LDP Business readers wanting a career change can head for the next Bluecoat audition in Blackpool this Saturday.

Smith was introduced to Pontin’s last summer by his friend Graham Parr, a former Bluecoat who later became chief executive of the company.

Parr pulled together a four-strong team under the name Ocean Parcs to buy the business from his former boss Trevor Hemmings, whose other business ventures include Blackpool Tower, and who is a major shareholder at Liverpool-based Littlewoods Pools owner Sportech.

Ocean Parcs started talks last summer but, despite the strong support of the company’s bank Abbey, the sale process was inevitably slowed down by the effects of the credit crunch as financiers became more cautious about offering credit.

Smith loves travelling abroad, but says his “stress meter” goes into the red at airports, particularly when the “delayed” signs start flashing.

He is convinced many people feel the same way and will be prepared to look more closely at holidaying in the UK – and at Pontin’s.

And Smith knows just how bad air travel can get – he was caught up in the chaos at the opening of Heathrow’s new Terminal 5.

“I was going to Africa for a week, flying with BA,” he said. “They managed to mess things up so much that I just turned around at Heathrow after being there for 30 hours and came home.

“I was talking about 54 hours travelling for a seven-day holiday, possibly without my clothing.”

Smith also believes peoples’ increasing concerns about global warming and their “carbon footprints” means they will want to make fewer flights. He hopes he can persuade those people that a Pontin’s break is a real alternative to short trips abroad.

By moving Pontin’s headquarters to Southport, Smith is returning to his family roots.

His grandfather hired out boats on the boating lake next to where Pontin’s now stands – Smith even remembers the camp being built in the 1960s – while his parents owned a boarding house in Southport.

Smith served as a bingo caller in Southport, but in the end accountancy called for him.

He started his career as a trainee cost accountant at Mullards in Southport, moving through a number of financial and commercial roles at organisations from hinge-maker Crompton to the Liverpool Housing Trust. Apart from a five-month stint in Zimbabwe in 1988, he has worked entirely in the North West.

Smith joined Matalan in 1990 and saw the company transformed in his 12 years there. In 1996, Matalan changed its pre- viously restricted membership policy, opening it to all. The same year, the company moved from Preston to Skelmersdale.

In 1998, Matalan floated on the London Stock Exchange. As finance director, Smith was charged with dealing with the City and says he “thoroughly enjoyed” the whole process.

Smith left Matalan in 2002, after seeing the company through the most profitable year in its history, and took time out of the business world before starting the Pontin’s negotiations last year.

He remains proud of his work with Matalan’s publicity-shy founder John Hargreaves, who took the business private again in 2006.

“I’ve got total respect for John Hargreaves,” he said. “He’s a great bloke, very intelligent and passionate about Matalan.”

TRADING GOSSIP: PAGE 16

alistairhoughton

Family: Ian Smith, 55, lives in Southport. He is married with one daughter.

Biggest achievement: The flotation of Matalan, which was the most successful retail float of the 1990s.

Biggest regret: Not keeping in touch with some of the people I have enjoyed working with, and who helped me achieve the things I have.

Unfulfilled ambition: To see Leeds United back in the Premier League.

Outside work: I love travel, I love to eat out and I love walking with my dogs.